This application is generally related to antenna mounting brackets and more particularly to a telescoping bracket for mounting and aligning a satellite antenna disk.
While the physical size required of satellite dish antennas for receiving clear audio and video signals has decreased as a result of increased satellite receiver sensitivity, the reduced size has made it desirable to mount satellite antennas on a building such as a residence. Typically, an unobstructed view of an appropriate satellite operable with the antenna is achieved by mounting the antenna on the roof or sidewall of the building. Mounting on what is typically a pitched roof often results in diminishing the integrity of the roof causing leaks as a result of drilling through the roofing material into rafters for obtaining structural integrity for the mounting. Mounting to sidewalls typically requires penetrating concrete block and the need for special tools and concrete anchors as suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 6,195,066 to Peques, Jr. et al. describing a satellite dish mounting arm for mounting to a vertical sidewall of a building. As identified in the xe2x80x2066 patent, the cantilever support avoids problems associated with mounting the dish to the eaves of the building, which eaves are known to have an inherent structurally weakness, especially for houses. So it would seem to those in the art of mounting such satellite disk antennas.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,647,567 to Pugh, Jr. et al. for an antenna mounting bracket further emphasizes that manufacturers typically advise users to avoid mounting the antenna on the eave of a house because of the eave""s lack of rigidity, stating that if the deficient rigidity could be overcome, an eave would be an ideal location for mounting the antenna. By way of example, the eave location allows an installer to avoid having to mount the antenna to a chimney, directly to the roof, or on a typically obstructed southern sidewall of the building. The eave can provide almost any side of the building for satisfying the need for unobstructed signal reception while better blending the antenna within the profile of the building. To account fro the eave structural deficiency, the xe2x80x2567 patent teaches use of a reinforcing antenna mount including an arm having a back plate to be secur4ed to a sidewall of the building plus a brace to secure a telescoping arm to the eave, while an end of the telescoping arm is secured to the antenna.
With the devices and methods known in the art, such as the roof mounting structure of U.S. Pat. No. 5,617,680 to Beatty and the multi-bracketed wall mounting structures of U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,724 to Duncan and U.S. Pat. No. 4,510,502 to Hovland et al., by way of example, there remains a need to provide a satellite antenna mounting method and apparatus that has minimal elements for ease on installation and still provides a wide variety of locations about the building for obtaining an unobstructed signal from the satellite communication with the antenna.
In view of the foregoing background, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a mounting apparatus and method for easily and inexpensively securing a satellite antenna to a building. It is further an object of the invention to provide an apparatus and method for mounting the antenna to an eave of a building while maintaining sufficient structural integrity when supporting the antenna under its planned use.
These and other objects, features and advantages according to the present invention are provided by an apparatus for mounting a satellite antenna dish assembly to a soffit of a building, the apparatus comprising a mount including a base portion having a body portion attached thereto. The base portion includes a plurality of holes for securing the mount to a soffit by screwing the base into a stud or truss member to which the soffit is attached. The body portion includes a bore for receiving an elongate arm slidable within the bore. One end of the arm includes a plate adapted for attaching the arm to a satellite antenna dish assembly. A lock secures the elongate arm to the body portion. In one preferred embodiment, the arm is locked in place within the bore using a rib longitudinally extending along a peripheral portion of the body portion, the rib having a plurality of threaded holes extending therethrough and into the bore for receiving setscrews to bias against elongate arm and thus secure the arm to the mount. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the elongate arm has a circular cross-section for allowing the arm to be received within the bore, also having a circular cross-section. For the embodiment of a single mount herein described, the body portion of the mount is integrally formed with the base portion, and a riser portion separating the base from the body portion.
In a method aspect of the present invention, mounting a satellite antenna to an eave of a building comprises providing a mount including a base portion having a body portion including a plurality of holes for securing the mount to a soffit. The mount is positioned onto a soffit such that the holes are aligned with a supporting member, such as a truss or stud, to which the soffit is attached, the soffit being positioned between the base portion and the supporting member. The mount is then secured to the soffit by having screws extend through the holes, through the soffit, and into the structural member. An elongate arm having a free end and an opposing end for attached a satellite dish assembly is slidably extended into the bore with the elongate arm positioned within the bore for permitting the opposing end to place the satellite antenna beyond the eave of the building. Once held in a desired position, the elongate arm is secured to the mount using setscrews threaded into the arm through the body portion, thus securing the satellite antenna to the eave of the building.